The No. 17 South Carolina women’s soccer team (7-1-1) began SEC conference play with a win after it defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 2-1 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Thursday night.
Freshman forward Mackenzie Johnson scored the game's first goal in the seventh minute after redshirt freshman goalkeeper Madi Munguia came off her line and cleared up an opportunity for a shot on goal.
The Crimson Tide tried to answer back with a goal of its own. It was successful in connecting on several passes behind the Gamecock defense but was unable to put one in the back of the net.
Alabama ended the first half with seven shot attempts compared to five from South Carolina, and it also had the only two corner kicks of the half.
Early in the second half, both South Carolina and Alabama scored goals just 22 seconds apart to make the game 2-1 in the 51st minute.
In the 50th minute, sophomore forward Katie Shea Collins scored a goal to boost the Gamecock lead to 2-0. This was the first time Collins had scored since a 2-0 win over Miami (OH) in August.
Just after Collins' goal, senior forward Gianna Paul scored a goal in the far right side of the net to bring the deficit back to one goal.
For the remaining 30 minutes, the Crimson Tide continued to put pressure on South Carolina's back line by applying pressure and continuing to attack after losing possession. Alabama ended the game with 20 shot attempts.
An emerging star
Coming into the season, South Carolina was looking to replace forward Catherine Barry, who scored 18 goals in her final season as a Gamecock.
Johnson has been able to help fill the gap that Berry left, as the young forward has scored in four out of her first nine games as a Gamecock.
Her best game of the season came against American University on Sept. 4. Johnson was able to score the game's only two goals for the first brace in her collegiate career.
Strong defensive performance
Senior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis ended Thursday’s game with five saves, the most she has had in a game this season.
Coming into the game, Tsaousis ranked in the top 45 nationally in save percentage, giving up just two goals in eight games. South Carolina as a whole also ranks 10th nationally in average goals with just .250 goals per game as of Tuesday.
The start of league competition
With conference play now officially underway, the Gamecocks is looking to win its fifth SEC regular season championship.
The last time South Carolina won either the SEC regular season or tournament championship was 2022, when the Gamecocks won both.
Going back to 2015, the Gamecocks was 8-2 in SEC conference openers before tonight's game, with the only two losses coming in 2022 and 2020.
What’s next?
South Carolina (7-1-1, 1-0) will take on Ole Miss (4-1) on Sept. 18 at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on SECN+.